Continuous extracting device



A ril 30, 1935. J. J. KIERGARD 1,999,241

' CONTINUOUS EXTRAC'TING DEVICE Filed Aug. .14, 1953 2 Shets-Sheet 1 IZVVENTOR. Jens Jorge)? lfzeryamQ l ATTORNE S.

April 30, I935.

J. J. ERGARD CONTINiJOUS. EXTRACTING DEVICE FilediAug. I4, 1935 zsheets-sneet 2 Z S MYIIIIIIIIIIA m i INVENTOR. Jens Jorgen 11 z erard,

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 30, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE to National Fruit Product Company,

Washington, D. C.

Application August 14, 1933, Serial No. 685,096

8 Claims. (01. 100-48) \This invention relates to an extraction or expression press for use with all types of fruit.

An object of the invention is to construct a continuous press for squeezing or extracting the juice from fruit such as apples for use in cider and vinegar industries.

Heretofore, the juice of apples and other fruits has customarily been extracted by packing layers of initially macerated fruit in filter cloths, placing a plurality of these filter cloths in a filter press and subjecting the series of filter cloths to the action of a pressing piston. This is not only a costly operation but is attended by a number of diiflculties, such as the large amount of hand labor involved, the proper packing of the fruit mash in the cloths, and the tremendous power necessary to operate the expressing piston.

With a press of the type hereinafter described, fruit, such as apples, either whole or initially macerated, may be continuously fed through the machine which will extract a large percentage of the juices in the fruit at a minimum of expense, labor, and handling. If desirable, the residual marc or pulp may be further expressed with the well known hydraulic presses of the prior art.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a continuously extracting press embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken through the entire machine.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on line 44 of Fig. l.

Figs. 5, 6, and '7 are vertical sections taken on their respective section lines indicated in Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 1, numeral l designates a hopper or feed trough having power driven screw conveyors 2 lying horizontally in the bottom portion 3. The drive shafts 4 of these screws project exteriorly of the trough bottom 2 and are driven by pulley 5 and. gears 6, power being applied to the pulley 5 by any suitable means.

The forward ends of the screws 2 terminate adjacent a perforated distributing or baffle plate 1 which is attached or fitted to the end of the trough. This baffle plate I may be provided with a bracket 3 which in turn may be fastened to the floor or wall to support the apparatus.

A lateral flange 9 is formed on the side of the bafile plate and an annular groove I is out intothe outer periphery of the flange.

Encompassing the flange 9 is an elongated split perforated metallic cylinder II which is hinged at the rear, the sections being hinged on horizontal pin l2, and fastened together at the front by means of pivoted thumb screws l3.

The opposite end of the cylinder ll encircles a second radial flange l4 formed on the perforated baffle plate l which is provided with a wall 5 bracket Hi. The bafiie plate !5 has a number of equispaced passages I! formed therethrough which register with a series of holes I8 in rotary valve plate I9 which is set in the lateral flange I4 and abuts the baflie plate. 10

The baflle plate l5 also has a central openingZil formed in it to provide an end bearing for shaft 2! which is afiixed to rotary valve l9. The shaft 2 I, of comparatively small diameter, extends horizontally through chamber 22 and bearing 23 in T perforated baffle plate 24, after which it passes through exhaust chamber 25 and projects outwardly of the rear wall thereof through bearing extension 26. The shaft 2| terminates in a drive pulley 2'! which is driven from any suitable source of power.

In cylindrical chamber 22 is mounted a rotatable spiral conveyor 28 which is of such a size and shape that it bears against the cylinder walls and the baflle plates I5 and plate 24. The central 25 portion of this spiral 28 is a hollow cylinder 29 which completely encompasses the drive shaft 2|, the elongated portion of the cylinder 29 being supported by bearing 23 in perforated baffle plate 24. through exhaust casing 25 and end bearing 26, terminating in drive pulley 39 which lies adjacent and parallel drive pulley 21.

The perforated cylinder ll, heretofore described, is hinged and adapted to be opened by releasing the screw fasteners l3 for the insertion or removal of the filter bag or tube 3|. It is preferable to insert a cord in the ends of the tube which fit in the grooves 50 of the end flanges 9 and I4. After a filter bag has been fitted over these flanges the cylinder sections are fastened together and so bind the ends of the filter bag around the end flanges.

It is also contemplated that metal screens made of Monel metal or the like may be substituted for the filter tubes. If screens are used, they need merely to be positioned around the end flanges and are retained in place by the perforated cylinder sections.

Suitably attached or supported from the press is a tray or other collection vessel 32, to receive the juice extracted. If desired, the vessel 32 may be fitted with a drain for continuously carrying away the liquid expressed.

In operation, whole or pulped apples or other The hollow cylinder 29 extends outwardly fruit are deposited in the hopper I from whence they are further macerated by the conveyor screws 2 lying in the bottom. of the hopper and forced through the openings in perforated plate 1. As soon as the cylinder H is filled with the crushed fruit, it will press against the face of rotary valve i8 so that a progressively increasing pressure is exerted on the fruit by the force of the screw conveyor. As heretofore described, the rotary valve i8 registers with perforations ll formed in bafiie plate i5 directly behind the valve. Consequently, as the valve 18 is rotated it alternately registers and closes the openings. H,- and as the conveyor 2 is continuously feeding pulp into the expression cylinder, the pulp is subjected to-a As the'fruit travels more so that by the timezwit.hasatraveled the? length of the cylinder and is forced through the openings of the valve, it is substantially-without-- liquid. To ensure that the'dried pulp or marcwill be properly exhausted, it is removed from the rear of the perforated plate 15 by the screw conveyor 28 which is rotated at a somewhat faster speed than the rotation of the valve 58. After being exhausted from the chamber 25, the marc may be further extracted in the customarypressure'filter presses.

The split hinged pressure-cylinder H may be quickly and easily opened by operating the thumb screwsl3 for inspection, cleaning, and installation of fresh filter cloths or screens.

What I claim is:

1. In a press, a positively driven screw feeding mechanism discharging material interiorly at one end of a perforated cylinder, and an independentlyydriven alternately opening and closing valve mechanism at the opposite end of said cylinder.

2. In a press, a, positively driven screw feeding mechanism discharging material interiorly at one end of a perforated cylinder, and a rotary alternately opening and closing valve at the opposite end of said cylinder, said valve being afilxed to arr-independently driven shaft, said shaft extend-- ingoutwardly from said cylinder.

3. In a continuous extracting device, a material hopper, a-positively driven interior feed mechan-isnr for discharging material from said hopper into anelongated extracting device, means including said feed mechanism for subjecting said bular perforated cylinder lined interiorly with a filter, a rotary opening and closing abutment at the opposite end of said cylinder, and a rotating scraper constantly removing material from adjacent said rotary abutment, said rotary abutment and said scraper being independently rotated at different rates of speed.

5. In an extraction apparatus, a material hopper, an extraction cylinder, a positively driven feed mechanism for continuously forcing material from said hopper into one end of said cylinder, a fixed perforated bafiie plate in the opposite end thereof, a rotary multiperforated baffle forming end dischargeopenings from said cylinder, saidrbaffle'being'affixed to an independently rotatedshaft'extending outwardly from said cylinder and adapted to alternately open and close said discharge zopenings.

, 6. In a, device of the character described, a feed hopper, a perforated distributing baffle, a perforated cylinder, said baflle extending into said cylinder, power driven mechanism for feeding material from said hopper through said, baflle tosaid cylinder, an independently driven rotary valve extending into the opposite end of said cylinder and controlling the discharge therefrom, the said cylinderbeing splitlongitudinally into two sections, the sections being pivoted together at one split point and latched together at the other split point.

'7. In a device of the character described, a power driven feed hopper, a multiperforatedend bafile for said hopper forming a discharge nozzle therefor, a split perforated extracting cylinder, one end of said. cylinder encircling the said discharge nozzle, the opposite end of said cylinderencircling anindependently driven rotary valve and perforated baffle plate, a filter bag also encircling said discharge nozzle and said rotary valve and bafiie plate, the said filterbag being retained in position by said split cylinder.

8. In a continuous extraction device, a mate rial hopper, a perforated extraction cylinder, means for feeding material from said hopper into said cylinder, an elongated'discharge casing surrounding the opposite end of said cylinder, a rotary valve in the end of said discharge casing adjacent the said cylinder, said'discharge casing having a perforated bafile positioned near the end of said casing immediately behind said rotary valve, and a second perforated baffle positioned intermediate the length of said discharge casing, a drive shaft affixed to said rotary valve and extending outwardly through said discharge casing, said shaft being aligned through central openings formed in said perforated baffles, the end of said shaft extending through the end wall of said discharge casing and terminating in a drive pulley.

JENS JORGEN KIERGARD; 

